Tom Hardy Drops Out of ‘Suicide Squad’, Jake Gyllenhaal Could Replace Him

Tom Hardy has dropped out of Warner Bros.’ upcoming all-star supervillain team-up movie, Suicide Squad. According to sources, Hardy had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts, as he’s currently shooting The Revenant, the latest drama from Alejandro G. Inarritu, who was nominated for a Best Director Oscar earlier this morning for Birdman. In addition, Suicide Squad is set to begin filming in Toronto in April, which conflicts with Hardy’s press commitments for Mad Max: Fury Road, which releases this May. There was just no way for Hardy to make the schedule work, once it was decided that the movie would shoot in April. It’s kind of a shame, too, since he’d have been an absolutely terrific fit for the part, particularly given his method approach to performances.

However, the studio is apparently not sweating Hardy’s departure too badly, since they’ve reportedly already made an offer to Jake Gyllenhaal, who is coming off of one of his career-best performances in Nightcrawler, a film that many felt should have earned him an Oscar nomination. But alas, he ended up being one of the more egregious snubs coming out of this morning’s announcements, right up there with The LEGO Movie.

If he accepts, Gyllenhaal would take over as Rick Flagg, the leader of the Suicide Squad. He’d also join a cast that already includes Jared Leto as The Joker, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Will Smith as Deadshot, Jai Courtney as Boomerang, Cara Delevigne as Enchantress and, reportedly, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller.

One thing in favor of Gyllenhaal accepting the part is his working relationship with Suicide Squad director David Ayer, who previously directed him in the critically-acclaimed crime drama End of Watch. However, Gyllenhaal is busy on his Broadway play, Constellations, which runs through mid-March. So if Gyllenhaal accepts, he’ll either have to do prep for his character concurrently with the play, or rush through his preparation in the handful of days he’ll have before shooting begins. He’s a legitimately great actor though, so I don’t doubt that it can be done. But it’s clear that Warner Bros. would like to have an answer sooner rather than later, since they’ll need to find another actor quick, if he turns them down. In order for the movie to make its August 5th, 2016 release date, Suicide Squad can’t afford to have production delayed.

What do you think? Would Gyllenhaal be a good fit for the role, in Hardy’s place? If not, whom do you think Warner Bros. should get for the part? Sound off in the comments!